Although Bereft of You
by Lady Alyss
Summary: Did you wonder how people were coping with Skulduggery's disappearance. Little snapshots of the cast of Skulduggery Pleasant dealing with his sudden disappearance. Please read & review, it's my first hurt story
1. Chapter 1: China Sorrows

Chapter 1: China Sorrows

China Sorrows runs her fingers over the spines of Skulduggery's books, automatically counting up numbers in her head. Numbers flash across her brain, big numbers, but they don't really matter. Her hand falls limply to her side. She'd waited so long for him to leave, so she could get her hands on these books, but now he was gone, she didn't want them. She smiles a small smile to herself. She could just picture him saying, "reverse psychology," and could just imagine his old smile, not his new skeletal one, flashing across his face.

She turns and faces the room again. It was just the same as when she'd last seen it, but also completely different. "I'm going to walk back," she calls to her assistant.

"Very well, Miss Sorrows, I'll drive the car back." He turns and leaves the room.

China looks over the room once more. The numbers don't flash across her brain any more; just images of a flat full of people laughing, years and years ago. She leaves.

* * *

She's closed the Library for a week. No one was coming; the books are to be left untouched. Now she is sitting in her sitting room, hands on her lap, neatly folded. All her furniture has been repaired, since she'd had to destroy it in the first place.

No one is coming.

China Sorrows sits alone in her flat with her hands folded neatly on her lap. China Sorrows never cries; she battles on.

But never say never, as the saying went.

She sits alone in her flat with her hands folded neatly on her lap. Then she sits alone with her hands held roughly on her lap.

China Sorrows never cries.

China Sorrows sits alone in her flat with her hands holding her face and cries.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sanctuary

OK, can i firstly thank all you greatguys who have reviewed this story! it was just a small idea and i'm so glad you love it. :) just be patient with me as i update it though, because i have patchy access to my computer. so, here is chp 2! enjoy.

and thanks again :)

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Chapter 2: The Sanctuary

Thurid Guild is sitting in his office, flicking through a case file. _He certainly did a lot with his life, that was for certain_, he supposes. There are woodcuts and paintings of him in battle. He pauses at an old picture of him before he was killed. _He was handsome, then_. It is a heavy case file, full of stories and reports. _It's a shame we never told him we had this_, he reflects. He then places the file in a marbled dish and sets it on fire. _We don't need this any more_, he thinks, _the sooner they forget him, the better._ The paper curls and crumples to ash. Someone knocks on the door.

"Come in," he says, still watching the curling paper. He looks up and sees Remus Crux standing in the door. "I was just checking to see if you would still require my services as Detective, Guild," he says.

"Well, seeing as we have no one else, you'll have to stay, won't you?"

"I'll stay on then."

"As you were," Guild says. Crux walks out the room, an unmistakable smirk creeping across his face.

Guild sits in his office for a long time with his fingers steepled under his chin. In the ends, he can only think of one thing. _He was always a better man than me_. He stands and leaves.

* * *

I'm sorry its quite short, but hope you like it anyway

ps i wouldnt mind some more ideas for characters, ones who would actually miss him. i have read the books and stuff, but they are all currently on loan to friends. ta! :)


	3. Chapter 3: Kenspeckle Grouse

OK, her is the new chapter. Also, i'm answering a couple of questions and points that have cropped up:  
(oh and btw, im obviously going to do Tanith, Ghastly and Valkyrie. and Fletcher has cropped up a couple of times, so i might do him...)

_**RhosFurey**_: Great idea about Finbar! That will be amazing! Thank you! Oh, and he destroyed the file becasue he wants EVERYONE to for get Skulduggery, including everyone the Sanctuary and Himself. and there _are_ lots of secrets.... im just not allowed to tell you guys ;)

**_A Girl Named K_**: Thank you for saying I'm deep! Flattering :)

**_Plate Captain: _**I'm doing Kenspeckle, as you are about to see! And Crux SHOULD die in a hole; Valkyrie should kick him in there... *drifts off into fantsy*

And thanks T**_hreeBooksInTheFire_** for always supporting me! and again, im sorry i removed Mevolent's back up plan, but frankly, it was NOT going well, so i'm gonna re-write it over thr summer hols and publish it during the autumn term, hopefully...

and thanks to all you other guys who have reviwed; i am soooo flattered! :)

and ps, i have a new story coming soon. it is a repentence for the sin i am about to commit: not using a computer for 6 weeks whilst i am on holiday! *cringes*

anyhoo, please read and enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Kenspeckle Grouse

Grouse meticulously cleans the counter. His new assistant, bless her, is lovely but also completely out of it. She's left plaster on the counter and it has set into an immovable blob, white and circular; almost head shaped. He turns and looks at the empty room. Normally, Valkyrie would be sitting on a bed, watching him. He sighs. She never visits any more.

The Hibernian Cinema is seldom visited now. No one comes to see the professor any more; after all there are bigger problems in the world nowadays. Even so, part of him still believes she will come and visit.

He scowls as he walks down the corridors. _If that wretched detective had never introduced her to this world_, he thinks, _she would be fine. I warned him, I warned her, but no one listens to me._ But he can't stay angry. As he walks, his frown fades and his face droops. _She's so... broken._ _She misses him. Shoot, everyone misses him._

_Do you? _A voice in his asks him.

_Yes. Yes I do._


	4. Chapter 4: Finbar Wrong

okey dokey, here is chp 4! please enjoy....

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Chapter 4: Finbar Wrong

Finbar is walking round his flat. He's forgotten what he's looking for, but he doesn't mind. He fiddles with one of his rings, wondering what is going on. Then his phone rings.

"'Sup?" This is his customary reply.

"Finbar, it's me, Sharon!"

"Hey babe, wassup?"

"The baby's born!"

"Dude, when?"

"A week ago! When you gonna come visit?"

"Aw, Sharon, I totally forgot. I swear you only left yesterday."

"Naw, I didn't. It was a week ago. So you coming or what?"

"Be right over. I love you, gorgeous."

"Love you too!"

Finbar hangs up his phone. He catches sight of a CD he's been meaning to play for weeks and thinks: _It'll only take a couple of secs..._

A week later, Finbar is standing next to Sharon's bed, holding her hand. The baby has become ill and is in intensive care.

"I'm sure the baby will be fine," says the nurse. "It's just a small infection. He's a fighter; he'll pull though. Would you like to visit him?"

"Yes please," they say, still holding onto each other.

They enter a children's ward and there is their baby, hooked up to a machine. He is breathing, but looks so fragile.

"I still can't believe it took you two weeks to get here," Sharon said, frowning.

"He's like a small wrinkly man," Finbar muses.

"He's like my Granddad," Sharon says.

The baby is skinny; you can see his bones stretching his skin. His eyes are shut and set in deep sockets which are purplish in colour.

"Wait. Sharon, I think I know this little dude."

"You met my Granddad before, remember? He looked, well, like the baby."

"No, someone else..."

Finbar continues to hold the baby's hand, struggling to once remember something. Then the pieces click.

"Skulduggery!" he exclaims

"Where?" says Sharon, craning her neck to try and see. "I swear he disappeared."

"No, he did." Finbar says, stroking the baby's hand. "The baby looks a little like him, that's all." The nurse's words echo through his head: _He's a fighter; he'll pull through_.

"Hey Sharon."

"Yeah?" They stand and stare at the baby.

"Can we call the baby Duggery? You know, after Skulduggery? I mean, we can't just take his name. It was, like, _his_."

"Duggery Wrong? Duggery Wrong..." she rolls the name around her mouth. "Yeah, yeah, that'd be cool. Duggery Wrong; I like it."

"Cool."

Suddenly, the baby opens his eyes. They are big and black, laced with mischief.

"Hey, little dude. You're Duggery. You're gonna be special, kid." He continues to stroke the baby's hand. Then with a playful smile, Duggery grabs Finbar's hand and laughs.

_He's gonna be one hell of a kid, _Finbar thinks. _One hell of a kid. Now, where did I put my phone...? _He meanders out the room absently, leaving Sharon sighing and playing with the baby.


	5. Chapter 5: Tanith Low

Ok, here it is. the story telling is going to change slightly now. These last couple of chapters are going to converge to the fianle, so they link together. So sorry in advance for any cliffhangers. so please, read and weep? or am i too hopeful. please, at least read :)

and thansk to all you guys who have supported me :)

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Chapter 5: Tanith Low

_Slash_

The head falls off the training dummy as Tanith swings her sword at it.

_Rip._

The arms of the dummy are ribbons at her feet. But she still doesn't feel better. She stands in a sea of ruined dummies. Sweat pours down her face and neck and she gasps for breath. She doesn't know how long she's been here, but she needs to be better.

Better. Stronger. Faster. More dangerous. More deadly.

This has been her mantra for so long now. Still exhausted, she returns to her training.

She will be better. Stronger. Faster. More dangerous. More deadly.

She has to be better. Stronger. Faster. More dangerous. More deadly.

She must become better. Stronger. Faster. More dangerous. More deadly.

The dummies fall before her eyes like rain, like drops of blood. Had it been raining at Aranmore? Or had it just been the blood from her falling? She doesn't know.

There is a knock at the door. She spins around. More adrenaline fills her body; more than any human should contain. She dashes to the door and mutters "withstand". She looks around nervously, thinking the situation through. She won't make the same mistakes again. She jumps onto the wall and runs round the walls of room, sealing the windows as she goes. She lands in the middle of the room, waiting.


	6. Chapter 6: Ghastly Bespoke

right, chapito 6 is here-amundo! i'm having a little relief hiiiigh, as my account WOULDNT LET ME UPLOAD STUFF! the internet was malfunctioning, but its all cool now *sigh*

and this is a little short, but im writing the next chapter after i post this, and we are nearing the end, dont worry. i might put it up this very day, sooooooo enjoooooooy.

and looooooooolz to all those who have reviwed, you are SUPA STARS!

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Chapter 6: Ghastly Bespoke**

Ghastly is stitching, listening to the blues humming from his record player; his preferred choice for working to. Except now, it isn't really what he needs. He stops and places the shoes he is stitching on the counter. His eyes glance over his workshop. They rest momentarily on an unfinished suit, a skinny suit, lying over the back of a chair, for someone who will never need it. He goes over to it. He has made this suit so many times, the same measurements over and over again. He smiles. The guy got through so many suits. He remembers one time when... But it doesn't matter now. He folds the suit up and puts it in a drawer.

He doesn't want to forget. But right now, he doesn't need to think about it. He needs to pick up Tanith.

***

He arrives at the warehouse where she trains. He still can't quite believe that this is happening. Aranmore seems so unreal. He knocks on the door. He hears "withstand" from inside. Tanith doesn't seem well. He hasn't seen her since Aranmore. He looks up at the windows and sees her running, each one covered in sheen. Now he is certain, Tanith is unwell. "Tanith?" he calls. "It's me. Ghastly."


	7. Chapter 7: Tanith Low & Ghastly Bespoke

ok, here is the next chapter in quick succesion to the next. love you all for reviwing so far (you guys are REALLY quick, btw)

this is a little weak at the beginnig, but i think it gets better. the description of anith is a little odd, but i cant think of how to do it better...

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Chapter 7: Tanith Low and Ghastly Bespoke**

"Tanith, it's me. Ghastly." She hears the voice call from outside. She remembers voices. She remembers Ghastly. She remembers friends. "Come in," she calls. Ghastly opens the door and steps inside. Tanith looks wrong. She is no longer beautiful; she is distorted, like looking in a sick carnival mirror. Her arms are swollen with muscle and are ridged with veins. Her trousers are ripped along the seams to fit her new legs. She herself is barely standing, she is so tired. Her skin is taught and grey. Her face is hollow. Her eyes are the most changed. They are set in deep voids and bruised purple with sleep deprivation. They are lost, they aren't looking at him, they're looking somewhere else far away. "Tanith," he says slowly, holding her shoulders firmly. "Oh Tanith."

She says nothing. "Can you even hear me?"

She begins to shake. "Tanith, it's over, Aranmore is over."

"Murder... Rose..." she finally says.

"She's gone now. They got her."

"She was better than me. She beat me. She got free. I should've stopped her. I-"

"-Should stop blaming yourself."

She stares at him, her large eyes slowly homing back into the present, slowly finding their way back from the past. "It wasn't me?"

"It never was, Tanith. You were amazing." He holds her close. "It's a tragedy and tragedies happen. All we can do is honour them."

"Honour them..." she murmurs into his shoulder. "It's today, isn't it?"

"It's today," he answers.

"And you're here, helping me." She holds him at arms length. "Who's helping you?"

He doesn't answer for a while, just looking at her. "I'm fine," he says finally.

She hugs him again. "No you're not; we're not. None of us are." She pauses. "But I'm back now. If it helps."

He smiles. "It does. But you need to get ready."

"I do. I'll just go and change. I'll probably wash first." She slowly walks off to the door that leads to her house and Ghastly smiles again. He's glad Tanith is back.


	8. Chapter 8: Valkyrie Cain

Right, here is the (hopefully) penultimate chapter. I know it's short, but this fits under the category of more father daughter relationship, or maybe just the one Landy has written, so there is no romancical pain. hope you like

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Chapter 8: Valkyrie Cain**

"Stephanie. Stephanie, are you even listening to me?" Stephanie Edgely looks up from her breakfast.

"Sorry Dad, what were you saying?" He sighs.

"I said, what are you doing today? I'm going to Beryl's," he shudders, "and your mother's out. So what are you going to do?"

"Why are you going to Beryl's?"

"I really don't know, but your mother says I have to; something about family being important. I disagreed, but it didn't really matter. But what will you be doing?"

"I have plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"Girl plans." He immediately leaves the room.

Stephanie slouches up the stairs and enters her room. Valkyrie slams down onto the bed. Another crushing day has passed and another and another and now it's today. The mind numbing repetition of the days has just washed over and hasn't settled in her head. All she knows is that she's tired of listening to people talk about things that don't matter and she's sick of having to act as if it hasn't happened.

She buries her face in the pillow but doesn't scream. She plugs in her iPod but doesn't listen. She pulls out a book but doesn't read. She closes her eyes and tries not to think. She has tried and tried and tried to make it stop hurting but it doesn't ever. She's banking so much on today. If it doesn't make her feel better, she doesn't know what will.

_Today is the day_, she thinks, _today is the time I get to be me. No more pretending. _Hurriedly wiping her face, she heads to the bathroom to begin getting ready.


	9. Chapter 9: In Memory

penultimate chapter everyone! and reason i've been away? depressed, tired, busy, you pick whatever you like, ok little bunnies? enjoy...

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**Chapter 9: In Memory**

_It's really full_, Valkyrie notices as she reaches the graveyard. _A lot of people have come here._ She pauses for a moment to side step an empty grave, then thinks: _he would so be showing that off to me, wouldn't he?_ A solitary smile momentarily grows on her face then fades.

She reaches the edge of the gathering which is milling around, looking at all the faces. She doesn't know most of them. There are old faces, lots of old faces. She realises they must've fought with him before, these old faces from before even her grandparents were born. She pushes through them, trying to ignore their prying eyes and the whispers of _that's the girl he took under his wing._ Finally, she sees Ghastly and Tanith. "Hi." They both turn and smile when they see it's her.

"Hi Valkyrie," Tanith says, reaching over to hug her, followed closely by Ghastly. Then they stand, not knowing what to say. What can they say? "There's a big turnout," says Valkyrie suddenly. "He really was well-liked, wasn't he?"

"Oh definitely. Everybody liked him, even those who said they didn't."

"It's hard to be around our Mr Pleasant without liking him, isn't it?" They turn and see China standing a few paces from them. "It's harder to think he's not going to be around." She turns and faces the watery sun. "Very hard." Maybe it was the sun, but Valkyrie notices that China's beauty is duller. China seems less like China. Everyone seemed less like themselves. Silence flops into the air. "We should sit down," points out Tanith as the crowd begins to filter into the chairs arched around a stone podium.

The three girls take their seats in the front row and Ghastly walks to the podium. "Friends," he begins solemnly, "we are gathered here today not to mourn but to commemorate a great man. He is not dead, but neither is he here. He still exists, but he doesn't walk amongst us. Skulduggery Pleasant was one of the greatest men in the world, in every possible way. He could be friend, ally, confidant, partner and lover. He was as versatile as water, strong as earth, as superlative as fire and as necessary as air. He was my friend for many years and those years have been the most amazing times of my life. Before I met Skulduggery, I had done very little with my life. He took me with him in his whirlwind existence and I never needed to look back. I watched him as he became the most powerful elemental in the Allied world, I watched him as he fell in love and married, I watched him become a father, I watched him fight for what he believed in and die for it. I then watched as he came back to life to finish what he started. These things are what he leaves us and these things are what we shall remember alongside him. Let him be an example to us for now and for always."

He steps away from the podium and. Valkyrie watches him as he sits down heavily in the seat next to Tanith. No one had dry eyes. Why should they? Her two friends embrace and Tanith holds Ghastly as someone else walks to the podium, someone who she doesn't recognise. Her brain begins to shut down and soon she's not there but floating down memory lane.

* * *

"So that plan worked out well."

"Skulduggery, your entire plan consisted of, and I quote, "Let's get up close and then see what happens."

'All the same,' he said, 'I think the whole thing worked out rather beautifully.'"

* * *

"We're not retreating; we're advancing in reverse."

* * *

"Vengeous scowled. 'As you can see,' he said, 'you are vastly outnumbered.'

'I usually am.'

'Your situation has become quite untenable.'

'It usually does.'

'You are within moments of being swarmed by these filthy creatures of undeath and torn apart in a maelstrom of pain and fury.'

Skulduggery paused. 'Okay, that's a new one on me.'

* * *

Valkryie grinned back, her eyes bright. 'I keep telling Skulduggery he should get a bike.'

'What does he say?'

'He says people who wear leathers, like you, should ride motorbikes. People who wear exquisite suits, like him, should drive Bentleys.'"

* * *

"I find it much easier to blast them off then to put them back."

* * *

"What, a living skeleton isn't enough for you? You want more?"

* * *

_All I want is you back_, she thinks. _It's all I want_.


	10. Chapter 10: Skulduggery Pleasant

aaaah, we've reached the end, no matter how shocking and tragic it may be. i hope youve liked the story. so for the last time (in this story anyway) enjoy...

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**Chapter 10: Skulduggery Pleasant**

In one of the brief moments where the two Universes overlapped, he sees the gathered crowd. He sees Ghastly and hears his speech. He sees the people he miss him. Then the air shimmers. "No! he yells.

_All I want is you back_, _it's all I want_.

He hears her thoughts echo round their empty Universe. The crowd begins to fade. "No!" he yells again, grabbing at the rapidly fading scene. He feels their shadowy hands grab his ankles and pull him away. "Let me go back, just let me go back, please let me go back, please just-" He is cut off as he begins to scream and is pulled away from the fading crowd, which are all beginning to go their separate ways. They didn't know that Skulduggery knew they had gathered and remembered. They didn't know he was grateful. They didn't know he would one day come back. All that hurt far more than any pain the Faceless Ones could inflict.


End file.
